MIXING IT UP: Chef Amelia Saltsman's penne with winter greens, potatoes and cheese is a simple main course from her "The Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook." EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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COOKING: Cooking by James Peterson. NICK KOON, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

<b>Cookbook holiday gifts</b>

<B>O.C. HOLIDAY 2007</B>

My husband thinks I'm addicted to cookbooks. He spends time everyday hunkered over books with tales of futuristic mayhem and long-ago wars. But me, I prefer pot roast on the page. Or anything that sounds delectable, whether down-home simple or highfalutin' haute.

It's the height of the bedside cookbook tower that worries him. He sees that hodge-podge collection as a life-threatening hazard and thinks I ought to address my obsession.

I look at it with love. Each time I flip through a cookbook, I find new things that intrigue me. A beautiful photo that makes me hungry. A new technique for creating a classic dish. A story or description. A timesaving tip.

And I just can't think of better holiday gifts for family and friends. Everybody has to eat, right? And cookbooks offer a joyous roadmap to creating better grub.

To ferret out some of the best picks for 2007 cookbooks, I spoke to Megan Steintrager, senior editor at Epicurious.com (the award-winning Web site that offers more than 35,000 recipes). Steintrager is a kindred cookbook enthusiast and many of her favorite cookbooks, are my favorites, too. She said that her favorites fall into two categories: Cookbooks that really teach readers how to cook, and cookbooks with recipes for delectable vegetable-based dishes.

"Cook With Jamie" by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, $37.50, 447 pages)

"Over this past year, there are a lot of cookbooks that really teach readers how to cook; they offer more than just a list of recipes," Steintrager says. “My favorite of the year is ‘Cook With Jamie.' Jamie Oliver offers the basics, building up to the complicated. Readers can master techniques as they go along.”

The book includes over 160 recipes ranging from fresh and simple, to upscale dishes from his Fifteen restaurants (London, Amsterdam, Cornwall, Melbourne). Oliver's Fifteen concept is a program that gives young people “that have had a bit of a hard time and could use a break” the opportunity to become professional chefs and work at Fifteen.

“Cooking isn't hard or elitist; it's about learning little bits of information and trying something different once in a while,” Oliver writes. And that something different might well be a delectable offering from these pages (such as Proper Bloke's Sausage Fusilli, or Sticky Fingers Lobster).

“Cooking” by James Peterson (Ten Speed Press, $40, 534 pages)

“Peterson is a (culinary) teacher, so that translates into his writing skills, helping to build skills” Steintrager says, selecting another favorite. “Sometimes people just jump into recipe without first mastering the technique and that can be very frustrating.”

The book has 600 recipes and glorious 1,500 instructional photographs (there are often more than 10how-to photos per recipe). The author begins the book with an overview of 10 basic cooking techniques, and then follows it with chapters broken down by recipe categories such as soup, salad or dessert. The book is very informative (and fun to read).

Vegetarian goes mainstream

“Looking at the top selling cookbooks, it is interesting to see that vegetarian cookbooks are selling very well,” Steintrager said about a dramatic shift in book sales. “You don't have to be vegetarian or vegan to appreciate the recipes in these books, which is a big change in our meat and potato culture. Before, a dinner without a piece of meat seemed strange to a lot of Americans. But now it seems completely logical. I will go an entire week without meat and not think about it; somehow it seems more natural than it used to.”

On the 30th anniversary of Katzen's groundbreaking “Moosewood Cookbook” this collection contains nearly 100 of the author's favorite vegetable recipes along with tips on stocking your pantry and sneaking more vegetables into everyday dishes. I love the recipes and the folksy illustrations that accompany them.

“Vegetarianism is a negative statement about meat,” Katzen says. “My cooking is a meat-neutral positive statement about the joys (for everyone, no matter where they get their protein) of eating plant-based foods. I don't like to draw lines in the sand with meat eaters in one category and vegetarians across the border in another club. I just want everyone to eat a lot of vegetables, whole grains, fruit, nuts and legumes. Meat is fine it you like it. Eggs are fine if you like them.”

Although this isn't strictly a vegetarian cookbook, it is a treasure trove of easy-to-make recipes that focus on produce found at one of the nation's best farmers' markets. Amelia Saltsman, the Santa Monica-based author, says that some of farmers featured in the book (as well as their glorious fruits and vegetables) can be found at farmers' markets in Orange County.

Many shoppers feel overwhelmed by the choices displayed at their local farmers' market. Who knew that there are over 4,000 varieties of apples? This book simplifies matters, giving the lowdown on everything from apricots to zucchini.

Her recipes concentrate flavors resulting in dishes that are vibrant yet simple. Her applesauce uses roasted apples that are mashed easy-peasy with a fork. Beets are simply glazed with blood orange juice and butter. A bruschetta topping is a mixture of fresh mint, salt, olive oil and diced tomatoes. Delicious.

The list wouldn't be complete with including the new book from Orange County writer, Judy Bart Kancigor.

Kancigor's book is a feast from start to finish. At first glance it's the wonderful family photos that pull you in. They are black and white shots that weave through five generations of the author's family.

But it's the heartwarming stories and recipes that put this book over the top. This is cooking from the heart with a memory in every morsel. She has captured the joy, wisdom and nostalgic history of the Rabinowitz family, tracing her grandparents' roots from Eastern Europe to suburbia. She weaves stories of Ellis Island in the early 1900s, the Great Depression and World War II, as well as recollections of her father, Jan Bart. Bart, a cantor and entertainer in early television, at the time of his death in 1971 had raised more funds for Israeli bonds than had any other performer. And, of course, there are stories about her mother, Lillian Bart, and her super-wonderful chicken soup.

She included both traditional and not-so traditional recipes contributed by members of her large, generous clan. She says that in-laws of in-laws asked to be included in the book.

Proper Bloke's Sausage Fusilli

Yield:4 servings

2 heaping teaspoons fennel seeds

2 dried red chilies, crumbled; see cook's notes

Olive oil

1 pound, 6 ounces good-quality coarse Italian sausage

1 tablespoon dried oregano

A wineglass of dry white wine

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 pound, 2 ounces good-quality fusilli or penne

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A couple of knobs of butter

Handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, chopped

Cook's notes: I substituted 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes for the crumbled whole dried chilies. If you want, add more to taste.

Procedure:

1.Bash up fennel seeds and chilies in pestle and mortar until coarsely crushed; set aside. Heat a splash of olive oil in heavy-bottomed skillet. Squeeze meat out of sausage skins and place in skillet; break up meat using back of spoon. Fry for a few minutes until meat starts to color and fat renders slightly, then crush it once more so it resembles coarse mince. Add bashed-up fennel seeds and chilies and cook on medium heat about 10 minutes until meat becomes crisp and golden brown and slightly caramelized.

2. Stir in oregano, then pour in wine and allow to reduce by half. Add lemon zest and juice. Turn heat to low while you cook pasta in large pan of salted boiling water according to package directions.

3.When pasta is cooked al dente, drain in colander reserving some of the cooking water and toss it into the pan that contains the sausage. Coat pasta in all the lovely flavors and add butter, Parmesan, parsley and a few spoonfuls of reserved cooking water. This will give you a lovely loose, shiny sauce. Taste and check for seasoning, then serve immediately with a little extra grated Parmesan sprinkled on top.

2. Bake in preheated oven until tender, about 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, slip fruits from their skins back into pan, scraping any pulp from the peels. Discard skins and thyme. Mash with fork, stirring in a bit of water to help scrape up any brown bits in the pan and to lighten the texture. Season to taste with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired. Serve warm, room temperature or cold.

1 pound waxy potatoes, such as French fingerling, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 pound Fontina or Gouda cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Procedure:

1. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in large deep skillet large enough to accommodate ingredients, cook onion in oil over medium heat until translucent and soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. While onion is cooking, wash but don't dry the greens; roughly chop wet greens. You should have about 8 cups.

3. Add garlic to onion and stir; cook until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add greens, a little salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir to help redistribute greens and help them to wilt. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook until greens are tender about 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times during cooking and add a bit of water if it seems dry.

4. Meanwhile, add pasta and potatoes to boiling water and cook until pasta is al dente and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta so it is still dripping, reserving about 1 cup of the cooking water. Stir pasta and potatoes into cooked greens, adding a little of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry or stiff. Season to taste with salt and generously with pepper. Remove from heat, stir in the cheese until melted and creamy. Serve.

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